Tim Donagy Speaks

Tim Donagy is the former NBA referee that was caught betting on NBA games that he actually refereed. This raised questions about the outcomes of the games and rather or not he intentionally altered the outcomes of games. He claimed in the interview on 60 Minutes that he only used his knowledge of other referees tendencies to place bets and in no way altered his referee actions to fix games. Donagy claims he was pressured by “The Mob” to give insider knowledge for bets. Both of these claims have been supported by the FBI.

Despite the support from the FBI on Donagy’s actions, I think the refereeing business as a whole is being thrown into scrutiny. These officials have so much power over the game that it isn’t surprising that they use their insider knowledge to place bets. While no larger conspiracy has been discovered, one would think that the NBA and other professional leagues need to seriously look into adding further regulations and training that could deter future scandals. Perhaps, the organizations need put in place intense ethical training for their officials to assure that these types of actions don’t occur again.